I'm firstly and foremostly a manga writer, so artwork is something I don't pay as much attention to. But still, there are some artists I'll have to mention here.

Masashi Kishimoto is the mangaka responsible mainly for the series Naruto. Now, many don't think his art is all that great, but I beg to differ. I think he is a natural talent when it comes to paneling, I always thought his locating the panels was great, and also he is really good at drawing action scenes. Also, in a recent one-shot of his, Bench!, he showed that he could be experimental with his character design, a notable detail being he gave all the characters 'button noses', and it still worked.

Takeshi Obata is the manga artist for the series Death Note and Bakuman. Though he does not write the stories himself, I think it is note-worthy to see his ability at drawing unique art that, even in the world of vast manga, stands out. He has shown realistic style in Death Note, and more of a manga-style in Bakuman. Also, in Bakuman which is one of my all-time favorites, he is able to make the most ordinary and everyday events look really special, something I prize him for.

Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi whom wrote and illustrated Kitchen Princess are my reason even though I am missing my right hand man, to pursue publishing in manga and I also love the art and the story that they worked on together.

Those sets of 3 artists and artist combined writer, if I truly had a choice to meet between the three of them it would be Ando and Kobayashi that I would meet to seek words of wisdom and how they were able to "team up", these two are my biggest inspiration.

I am in most awe of Hiromu Arakawa for being a woman and writing/drawing Full Metal Alchemist, an incredibly engaging story that transcends the limited formulaic tropes in most shonen stories. Her female characters are all wonderful (I love Millia Armstrong <3 <3 <3), her character designs diverse, her story hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, her lineart and compositions are exciting and clear--- oh you guys, I can go on and on. She is my artist idol and when I do a shonen series, I need to hold it up to her standard.

Other artists I look up to are CLAMP (for their prolific nature, and impressive range), Naoki Urasawa (for his wonderful characters, stories and beautiful linework) and Yusuke Murata (for his fantastic skills with perspective, anatomy and diverse character designs).